"Don't clap, it'll make it cheesy," Kate Tempest told the crowd at Rough Trade, heartfelt, as she enthused about playing her first show in MC mode in Brooklyn, home to heroes like Mos Def and Biggie. This was the last show of her first American tour -- "a trip that absolutely changed my life" -- and she was positively beaming onstage. You couldn't help but smile or shout back at her genuine enthusiasm. Backed by an excellent band that included her producer/collaborator Dan Carey on synthesizers, a drummer (everything seemed to be played live to me) and a backing vocalist, Tempest absolutely mesmerized from the second she hit the stage. It is hands-down the best live performance I've seen this year.

She is not the female version of The Streets. She is not Lady Sovereign. See her live and you'll know. The songs on her debut album, Everybody Down (based on her new novel, Hold Your Own) and are detail-rich stories of everyday people trying to connect in a world of constant distractions. Being human to each other, doing things that matter, never giving up -- subjects that are not new but Tempest delivered with passion and conviction and serious flow. We need more like her.